UN Regional Commissions Publish Joint Report on Climate Change Challenges
January 2010: The five UN Regional Commissions have released a report on the support they provide, by region and thematic area, to combating climate change, titled "The United Nations Regional Commissions and the Climate Change Challenges."The report covers initiatives for: integrating climate change considerations into development plans, strategies and programmes at national and regional levels; assessing the economic impacts of climate change, evaluating the costs of mitigation and adaptation, and exploring options for climate change financing; enhancing countries' capabilities and leveraging resources for disaster risk reduction and preparedness; preparing methodologies for assessing the vulnerability of water resources; and examining the impacts of climate change on land, agricultural productivity and food security from social, economic and environmental perspectives.
The report also covers intergovernmental regional consultation processes facilitated by the Commissions with a view to developing regional perspectives on the post-2012 framework. These consultations have focused on policy options to mainstream climate change policies into development plans, including through "green growth;" and the follow-up to the Bali Action Plan. The report further provides an aggregated overview of emissions trends in the countries covered by each of the five regional commissions. [The Report]